Copy and paste this worksheet as a separate page linked to the Homepage of your portfolio. DO NOT type your answers on THIS document because it needs to be used by other students. The title of your page which replies to these questions is linked to your portfolio and should begin with the first initials of your first and last name. (In my case, the link to this worksheet from my portfolio page would read frdisgraced.)
You may earn a maximum of 3 points toward your final grade by doing the above and answering the questions and submitting them ontime (no later than Friday, October 27). Any worksheets submitted after the deadline will get a 0. You will be rewarded a maximum of 3 points if I judge your work to be above average. You will receive 2 points if your work is average, that is it may have a few minor mistakes in some of the answers but demonstrates correct grammar and indicates that some, but not all, of the answers, are acceptable and well expressed. You will earn only 1 point if you simply answered the questions and/or if you use poor grammar and if there are signs that you have not read the material on which your answers are based.
1. Describe the stasis in the play: where, when, who, what, etc. in a paragraph.
Disgraced takes place in the Upper East Side of Manhattan in a presumably wealthy apartment in one of the most well-to-do neighborhoods in New York City. The play follows the main characters of Amir, a successful lawyer of Islamic roots, his wife Emily, an artist by trade, their nephew, Abe, Isaac, a well to do art curator, and Isaac's wife Jory, a fairly successful co-worker of Amir's. At the beginning of the play, it is clear that Amir has a fairly great job that is evident through his apartment. Amir almost blasphemously denies his Islamic identity to the point of lying about the birthplaces of his parents and changing his social security number. Emily, on the other hand, is inspired by the artwork of the Muslim tradition and uses it as inspiration for her various pieces including a portrait of her husband inspired by Vasquez. In their household, discussions about identity, faith, and politics are almost expected and fostered through their upper-class and almost pretentious lifestyle. Abe, Amir's nephew, looks up to Amir as a successful Muslim role model who has made a name for himself. Abe has changed his name from Hussein in order to assimilate himself into the American culture. However, Abe is much more in touch with his Islamic identity than Amir as Abe approached his uncle in order to try and persuade him to defend an Imam who is currently on trial for aiding and abetting a terrorist organization.
2. What is the intrusion?
The intrusion of the play is the moment when The New York Times publishes an article about the trial of the Imam and associates Amir's name with the Imam's defense despite the fact that Amir has remained neutral throughout the public trial and is preferring to stay uninvolved. The publishing of the article causes Amir to almost freak out as he realizes that his Islamic heritage could potentially interfere with his work and personal life. This event causes a literal identity crisis for Amir as he is found lashing out at his wife and colleagues. This event can be considered the intrusion of the show because the event sparks the events and anger that occur at the dinner and result in the loss of Amir's job at the firm and his lack of promotion to partner. AMir's association with a highly publicized case involving radical Islamic terrorism cause unforeseen consequences that result in the various dramatic actions of the show. His association is revealed through the published article in The New YorkTimes, making the scene the intrusion of the play.
3. What is the unique factor?
This is the day that Amir comes to terms with his identity as a successful Muslim man living in New York City after the tragic events of 9/11.
4. What is the dramatic question that should be answered by the end of the play?
Who is Amir? Who is a Muslim man living in New York City after the tragic events of 9/11?
5. Provide an illustration of the two kinds of exposition that the play has in it.
The exposition that everyone in the show knows is that Amir is struggling with his identity as a Muslim man living in New York City. Everyone is aware of the struggle that Amir deals with while trying to cope with his identity as both a successful lawyer and an Islamic man. Emily, as his wife is aware of the struggle that Amir deals with as she prefers to take inspiration from the Islamic tradition while Amir decides to disown his identity. Abe, who once looked up to his uncle, begins to see the misfortune that Amir has to deal with and at the end of the play, begins to dismiss his uncle. Both Isaac and Jory are less aware of the conflict between Amir and his identity but as close confidantes, it is clear that he has inner conflicts of his identity. However, the exposition that only a few characters know about, is the exposition dealing with the fact that Jory has been offered a promotion to be a partner of their law firm. The promotion is only known to Jory and Isaac before Isaac exposes the secret to Emily as he also exposes the truth of their affair to the audience, ultimately revealing the affair and the promotion to Amir as Jory walks in on Emily and Isaac kissing and Jory tells an angry Amir about her promotion.
6. Identify the most theatrical moment in the play and of what importance it seems to be.
The most theatrical moment of the play is the dinner scene involving Amir, Emily, Jory, and Isaac. The dinner scene is the most theatrical moment of any play because it involved all characters that essentially expose all of their secrets and their true identities to each other and to the audience. Through the shocking realizations and discussion over dinner, the identity of not only Amir, but Isaac, Jory, and Emily are all exposed. The dinner party and the realizations act as a partial answer to the dramatic question of the play while also leaving a lot up to audience interpretation. The most shocking moment of the play is the scene where Amir punches Emily multiple times upon discovering her affair with Isaac. Amir uses all of his stored anger and confusion regarding his identity and all of the anger from his conversations with Isaac in order to beat Emily. The scene is shocking and breathtaking, and not in a good way. The shocking scene and the most theatrical moment of the show leave the audience completely captivated and almost angry at Amir for his actions.
7. List some of the themes of the play.
The main theme of the play Disgraced is identity. Identity is discussed in Disgraced through Amir and his failure to recognize his Islamic and Mulsim heritage. Amir clearly denounces his Islamic heritage and chooses to assimilate himself into American society. However, despite his denouncement, he continues to struggle with his identity and is unable to find the proper balance between his Islamic heritage and his success as a lawyer in New York City. The identity is the largest focal point of the show and the idea is essential to the understanding of the show. Other themes of the show include acceptance, of not only one's own heritage but the acceptance of other people and other people's culture and identity. Inter-racial and Inter-secular relationships are also an essential theme of the show as developed through the relationship of Amir and Emily, an ethnically Muslim man and a white woman, and the relationship of Jory and Isaac, a Jewish man and a Black woman. Self-disillusion is also a major theme as developed through the illusion that Amir has created for himself. Amir is clearly lost and confused in a world of disillusion between his identity and his worldly successes.
8. What does the chief character want and what are some obstacles that stand in the way of his getting what he wants?
The chief character is Amir, and it is clear that on the surface what he wants is a promotion to partner of the law firm of which he is a lawyer. Amir's main hope and goal is to feel successful and completely assimilated into the American culture and Amir measures his success as his financial and career successes. However, the obstacle that lies in between Amir and his goal in achieving partner is his ethnicity and The New York Times, which published the article associating Amir's name with the case involving the Imam. Becuase of Amir's ethnicity and his alleged association with the Imam, his firm neglects to promote him to partner and instead promotes Jory, and African American woman, to the position. In addition, Amir lies about the birthplaces of his parents and changes his social security number in order to try and hide the fact that he is in fact of Islamic descent. However, these lies also come back to bite him in the butt when he fails to be promoted to partner.
9. Describe some possible images in the play and how does the title help us understand the play.
Possible images in the play include Emily's portrait of Amir based on the Valesquez painting, the clothes that Abe wears, and the shirts that Amir wears. The painting of Amir is an important symbol in the play because it shows the correlation between Amir and the slave that was the inspiration for the original painting. Just like the slave is submissive to his master, Amir is enslaved and submissive to his own identity. Amir's confusion and lack of confidence in his own identity are portrayed through the painting done by Emily and it helps to illustrate not only Amir's character but also the popular view that many of the other characters have of Amir throughout the play. The clothes worn by Abe in Scene Four, are the traditional clothes worn by Muslim men. The clothes are a representation of Abe's identification with his heritage, lineage, and culture. Unlike his uncle who has rejected his culture and chosen instead to wear clothes such as fancy suits and ties, Abe has instead chosen to embrace his heritage and wear traditional Islamic clothing. The image of the shirts worn by Amir which he admits to being of a very high thread count and costing a significant chunk of money help to illustrate Amir's reliance on financial success. Amir places a large emphasis on how he is perceived by others. His shirts help to illustrate at a superficial level how much effort and money he puts into making sure that he is perceived in an impressive and likable light.
10. Briefly define the family relationships that are examined in the play.
Family relationships are explored in Disgraced through the marital status of Amir and Emily and the relationship between Amir and his nephew, Abe. Abe and Amir's relationship is an interesting one as Abe admits to having idolized his uncle for all of his uncle's success. From the outside, Amir looks very successful and put together, however, on the inside he is clearly holding a lot of resentment and isolation because of his confusion regarding his own identity. At the end of the play, Abe rejects his uncle for having condemning his own heritage and Abe begins to realize just how lost and confused his once idol actually is. The relationship between Emily and Amir is also interesting seeing as Emily, a white woman, is more interested in the Islamic culture than her own husband, who is actually of Islamic descent. Amir places a large emphasis on maintaining a seemingly picture-perfect life so upon lashing out on his wife and beating her, it is clear that he has truly hit rock bottom when Emily leaves and asks him to never speak to her again. The relationship between Amir, Emily, and Abe reminds me of a popular quote by one Ru Paul: "If you can't love yourself, how the hell you gonna love somebody else." Amir is unable to come to terms with his own identity and love himself and in his failure to do so, he loses everyone close to him.
Copy and paste this worksheet as a separate page linked to the Homepage of your portfolio. DO NOT type your answers on THIS document because it needs to be used by other students. The title of your page which replies to these questions is linked to your portfolio and should begin with the first initials of your first and last name. (In my case, the link to this worksheet from my portfolio page would read frdisgraced.)
You may earn a maximum of 3 points toward your final grade by doing the above and answering the questions and submitting them ontime (no later than Friday, October 27). Any worksheets submitted after the deadline will get a 0.
You will be rewarded a maximum of 3 points if I judge your work to be above average. You will receive 2 points if your work is average, that is it may have a few minor mistakes in some of the answers but demonstrates correct grammar and indicates that some, but not all, of the answers, are acceptable and well expressed. You will earn only 1 point if you simply answered the questions and/or if you use poor grammar and if there are signs that you have not read the material on which your answers are based.
1. Describe the stasis in the play: where, when, who, what, etc. in a paragraph.
Disgraced takes place in the Upper East Side of Manhattan in a presumably wealthy apartment in one of the most well-to-do neighborhoods in New York City. The play follows the main characters of Amir, a successful lawyer of Islamic roots, his wife Emily, an artist by trade, their nephew, Abe, Isaac, a well to do art curator, and Isaac's wife Jory, a fairly successful co-worker of Amir's. At the beginning of the play, it is clear that Amir has a fairly great job that is evident through his apartment. Amir almost blasphemously denies his Islamic identity to the point of lying about the birthplaces of his parents and changing his social security number. Emily, on the other hand, is inspired by the artwork of the Muslim tradition and uses it as inspiration for her various pieces including a portrait of her husband inspired by Vasquez. In their household, discussions about identity, faith, and politics are almost expected and fostered through their upper-class and almost pretentious lifestyle. Abe, Amir's nephew, looks up to Amir as a successful Muslim role model who has made a name for himself. Abe has changed his name from Hussein in order to assimilate himself into the American culture. However, Abe is much more in touch with his Islamic identity than Amir as Abe approached his uncle in order to try and persuade him to defend an Imam who is currently on trial for aiding and abetting a terrorist organization.
2. What is the intrusion?
The intrusion of the play is the moment when The New York Times publishes an article about the trial of the Imam and associates Amir's name with the Imam's defense despite the fact that Amir has remained neutral throughout the public trial and is preferring to stay uninvolved. The publishing of the article causes Amir to almost freak out as he realizes that his Islamic heritage could potentially interfere with his work and personal life. This event causes a literal identity crisis for Amir as he is found lashing out at his wife and colleagues. This event can be considered the intrusion of the show because the event sparks the events and anger that occur at the dinner and result in the loss of Amir's job at the firm and his lack of promotion to partner. AMir's association with a highly publicized case involving radical Islamic terrorism cause unforeseen consequences that result in the various dramatic actions of the show. His association is revealed through the published article in The New York Times, making the scene the intrusion of the play.
3. What is the unique factor?
This is the day that Amir comes to terms with his identity as a successful Muslim man living in New York City after the tragic events of 9/11.
4. What is the dramatic question that should be answered by the end of the play?
Who is Amir? Who is a Muslim man living in New York City after the tragic events of 9/11?
5. Provide an illustration of the two kinds of exposition that the play has in it.
The exposition that everyone in the show knows is that Amir is struggling with his identity as a Muslim man living in New York City. Everyone is aware of the struggle that Amir deals with while trying to cope with his identity as both a successful lawyer and an Islamic man. Emily, as his wife is aware of the struggle that Amir deals with as she prefers to take inspiration from the Islamic tradition while Amir decides to disown his identity. Abe, who once looked up to his uncle, begins to see the misfortune that Amir has to deal with and at the end of the play, begins to dismiss his uncle. Both Isaac and Jory are less aware of the conflict between Amir and his identity but as close confidantes, it is clear that he has inner conflicts of his identity. However, the exposition that only a few characters know about, is the exposition dealing with the fact that Jory has been offered a promotion to be a partner of their law firm. The promotion is only known to Jory and Isaac before Isaac exposes the secret to Emily as he also exposes the truth of their affair to the audience, ultimately revealing the affair and the promotion to Amir as Jory walks in on Emily and Isaac kissing and Jory tells an angry Amir about her promotion.
6. Identify the most theatrical moment in the play and of what importance it seems to be.
The most theatrical moment of the play is the dinner scene involving Amir, Emily, Jory, and Isaac. The dinner scene is the most theatrical moment of any play because it involved all characters that essentially expose all of their secrets and their true identities to each other and to the audience. Through the shocking realizations and discussion over dinner, the identity of not only Amir, but Isaac, Jory, and Emily are all exposed. The dinner party and the realizations act as a partial answer to the dramatic question of the play while also leaving a lot up to audience interpretation. The most shocking moment of the play is the scene where Amir punches Emily multiple times upon discovering her affair with Isaac. Amir uses all of his stored anger and confusion regarding his identity and all of the anger from his conversations with Isaac in order to beat Emily. The scene is shocking and breathtaking, and not in a good way. The shocking scene and the most theatrical moment of the show leave the audience completely captivated and almost angry at Amir for his actions.
7. List some of the themes of the play.
The main theme of the play Disgraced is identity. Identity is discussed in Disgraced through Amir and his failure to recognize his Islamic and Mulsim heritage. Amir clearly denounces his Islamic heritage and chooses to assimilate himself into American society. However, despite his denouncement, he continues to struggle with his identity and is unable to find the proper balance between his Islamic heritage and his success as a lawyer in New York City. The identity is the largest focal point of the show and the idea is essential to the understanding of the show. Other themes of the show include acceptance, of not only one's own heritage but the acceptance of other people and other people's culture and identity. Inter-racial and Inter-secular relationships are also an essential theme of the show as developed through the relationship of Amir and Emily, an ethnically Muslim man and a white woman, and the relationship of Jory and Isaac, a Jewish man and a Black woman. Self-disillusion is also a major theme as developed through the illusion that Amir has created for himself. Amir is clearly lost and confused in a world of disillusion between his identity and his worldly successes.
8. What does the chief character want and what are some obstacles that stand in the way of his getting what he wants?
The chief character is Amir, and it is clear that on the surface what he wants is a promotion to partner of the law firm of which he is a lawyer. Amir's main hope and goal is to feel successful and completely assimilated into the American culture and Amir measures his success as his financial and career successes. However, the obstacle that lies in between Amir and his goal in achieving partner is his ethnicity and The New York Times, which published the article associating Amir's name with the case involving the Imam. Becuase of Amir's ethnicity and his alleged association with the Imam, his firm neglects to promote him to partner and instead promotes Jory, and African American woman, to the position. In addition, Amir lies about the birthplaces of his parents and changes his social security number in order to try and hide the fact that he is in fact of Islamic descent. However, these lies also come back to bite him in the butt when he fails to be promoted to partner.
9. Describe some possible images in the play and how does the title help us understand the play.
Possible images in the play include Emily's portrait of Amir based on the Valesquez painting, the clothes that Abe wears, and the shirts that Amir wears. The painting of Amir is an important symbol in the play because it shows the correlation between Amir and the slave that was the inspiration for the original painting. Just like the slave is submissive to his master, Amir is enslaved and submissive to his own identity. Amir's confusion and lack of confidence in his own identity are portrayed through the painting done by Emily and it helps to illustrate not only Amir's character but also the popular view that many of the other characters have of Amir throughout the play. The clothes worn by Abe in Scene Four, are the traditional clothes worn by Muslim men. The clothes are a representation of Abe's identification with his heritage, lineage, and culture. Unlike his uncle who has rejected his culture and chosen instead to wear clothes such as fancy suits and ties, Abe has instead chosen to embrace his heritage and wear traditional Islamic clothing. The image of the shirts worn by Amir which he admits to being of a very high thread count and costing a significant chunk of money help to illustrate Amir's reliance on financial success. Amir places a large emphasis on how he is perceived by others. His shirts help to illustrate at a superficial level how much effort and money he puts into making sure that he is perceived in an impressive and likable light.
10. Briefly define the family relationships that are examined in the play.
Family relationships are explored in Disgraced through the marital status of Amir and Emily and the relationship between Amir and his nephew, Abe. Abe and Amir's relationship is an interesting one as Abe admits to having idolized his uncle for all of his uncle's success. From the outside, Amir looks very successful and put together, however, on the inside he is clearly holding a lot of resentment and isolation because of his confusion regarding his own identity. At the end of the play, Abe rejects his uncle for having condemning his own heritage and Abe begins to realize just how lost and confused his once idol actually is. The relationship between Emily and Amir is also interesting seeing as Emily, a white woman, is more interested in the Islamic culture than her own husband, who is actually of Islamic descent. Amir places a large emphasis on maintaining a seemingly picture-perfect life so upon lashing out on his wife and beating her, it is clear that he has truly hit rock bottom when Emily leaves and asks him to never speak to her again. The relationship between Amir, Emily, and Abe reminds me of a popular quote by one Ru Paul: "If you can't love yourself, how the hell you gonna love somebody else." Amir is unable to come to terms with his own identity and love himself and in his failure to do so, he loses everyone close to him.